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Located
to the right of the Hall
of State, the Tower Building was designed by Donald Nelson,
the man chosen to be the chief architect for the
exposition. George Dahl picked Nelson because he had previously
worked on the 1933 Chicago Fair. The architect made the building
the tallest structure at the event with a height of 179 feet, allowing
it to serve as the geographic center of the centennial
celebration.
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The
tower
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
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The tallness
of the building is attributed to the tower in the front. At the
very top is a gold eagle designed by Raoul
Josset and sculpted by Jose Martin. Both sides of the
Great Seal of the United States present themselves beside the tower
above the two entrances. Along the building's sides, a massive bas-relief
frieze divided into three sections covers a total of 175 feet. The
left section shows explorers, missionaries, settlers, historical
figures, and a depiction of the Texas Revolution. The central area
provides representations of the different industries and institutions
necessary for a strong foundation. The right section tells about
the pioneer days, the introduction of the railroad, the Civil War,
the cattle industry, and the establishment of colleges and universities.
The entire thing was sculpted by Julian Garnsey.
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Gold eagle designed
by Raoul Josset and
sculpted by Jose Martin.
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
The Tower Building
at Fair Park
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
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Born in New
York City, Julian was the son of a painter and muralist. He often
worked with his father on projects, learning the trade in the process.
After graduating from Harvard University with an architecture degree
in 1909, he studied art in New York and Paris. Julian returned to
his father and worked with him until he volunteered to fight in
World War I. He then
moved to California and served as the art director for the movies
The Idle Rich and A Trip to Paradise. He also became president of
the Los Angeles Architectural Club, California Water Color Society,
and California Arts Club. In 1942, he joined the staff of Princeton
to teach architecture. In addition to his work at Fair
Park, he was well-known for his murals for Union Depot in Ogden,
Utah, painted ceilings of the Powell Library at UCLA, and murals
at the Hawaiian Electrical Company Building in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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| Known as the
Federal Building when it first opened for the exposition, the
structure housed thirty-five exhibits advertising government agencies.
Visitors who entered the pavilion had to walk through a rotunda featuring
four murals depicting the different regions of the nation. After the
big event ended, the area past the rotunda was used for product and
food vendors. The Federal Building was renamed the Electric Building
in 1954. During this time, the exterior had a large clock and special
lighted lettering to spell out the new name. Eventually, the place
earned its current moniker as the Tower Building. The rotunda
at some time in its long history displayed photographs of prominent,
influential Texans who played an important part in the state's modern
history. The exhibit space has been transformed into a food court
after the building was remodeled in 1998. That same year, artist Robert
Marshall made an exact replica of the gold eagle perched on top
of the tower because the old one was too debilitated to restore. For
the past few years, all the photographs posted in the rotunda have
been placed in the food court. The building is also used as the headquarters
for the City of Dallas Fair Park Administration. |
References:
1.Bigtex.com
2.Dallashistory.org
3.Dallas Morning News Archives
4.Fairpark.org
5.Slate, John H. Historic Dallas Parks. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
6.Tshaonline.org
7.Watermelon-kid.com
8.Wikipedia.org
8.Winters, Willis Cecil. Fair Park. Arcadia Publishing, 2010. |
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage or recent photos, please contact
us. |
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